Have the Patriots done enough to support Drake Maye? - ESPN

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. OL and Maye: Rookie quarterback Drake Maye's second preseason stint ended with a painful thud when Eagles outside linebacker Nolan Smith Jr. crunched him from the blind side in a high-impact collision. Smith's momentum resulted in him landing on top of Maye.

On what was mostly a promising night for No. 3 pick in the draft, the play provided a reminder of one of the lingering questions for the Patriots as they consider when they might be comfortable turning things over to him.

Have they done enough to support him?

Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf has talked multiple times about providing the necessary infrastructure to help a rookie quarterback succeed, especially after being part of the personnel staff in the final years of Bill Belichick's tenure and experiencing how not doing so had such damaging effects on quarterback Mac Jones.

There are many ways to provide that support and one of the most obvious is a stable offensive line, which the Patriots are struggling to achieve.

Among the primary concerns is backup center, which is partially a result of losing 2023 fourth-round pick Jake Andrews to an undisclosed injury for the season. They botched three center/quarterback exchanges in Thursday's 14-13 preseason loss to the Eagles, which head coach Jerod Mayo called one of the night's biggest disappointments. Because of the lack of depth at the position, they are limiting starter David Andrews' playing time.

Mayo also bluntly critiqued the state of the offensive line in saying: «There's a dramatic drop-off — not really physically but just knowing what to do — between the first line and the second and third